If you want to shed those extra pounds extra fast, the Turbo Cycle is for you. Of the four original carb cycles (Easy, Classic, Turbo, and Fit), this cycle takes off weight the fastest. Unlike the Easy and Classic cycles, which alternate low and high carb days, the Turbo Cycle pits two low carb days against every high carb day. That means you’ll burn fat two days in a row before your body’s furnace (metabolism) is re-stoked on your high carb day, and you’ll lose weight really, really fast!
Even though the Turbo Cycle has an extra low carb day as compared to the Easy and Classic cycles, it is not a severely calorie-restricted cycle that will crash your metabolism. And since you’ll have two low carb days in a row, you may feel less energetic on the second low carb day. But this is okay. These low carb days are powerful weight loss accelerators!
Here’s what a Turbo Cycle week looks like:
- Monday: Low carb day
- Tuesday: Low carb day
- Wednesday: High carb day
- Thursday: Low carb day
- Friday: Low carb day
- Saturday: High carb day
- Sunday: Reward day
Every breakfast—on both low and high carb days—will consist of a portion each of protein, carb, and fat. For the next three meals of the day, you’ll eat either a high carb or low carb meal (depending on which day you’re on). Your final of the day will ALWAYS be a low carb meal. Follow the portion size guide to put all your meals together. And as with the other cycles, you can stay with the Turbo Cycle as long as you want, or you can change cycles at any time. This program is tailor-made to you and you alone!
Learn more about the Turbo Cycle in our book, Choose More, Lose More for Life. And if you’re interested in learning about the Extreme Cycle, check out our book, Extreme Transformation.
And if you’d like some help creating your own meals, there’s a handy “Create Your Own Meals” chart in this post!
Note: If you’ve been carb cycling using our book, Choose Lose More, Lose More for Life, you’ll notice that we’ve changed a couple of things since that book was published: You now include a fat for breakfast, and every final meal of the day is a low carb meal. Like with a lot of things in life, the more you do them, the more you learn about how to do them even better!
950 Responses
I am interested in doing the turbo cycle. Any suggestions for someone who works night shift. I don’t know what to eat or when to eat it. I work 3 days a week from 7pm – 7am, and the other days I sleep and follow a normal schedule. I do flip back and forth in sleep schedule often. My weight just keeps going up:(
thanks.
As far as what to eat, there’s an awesome graphic (as well as some other great info) that can help: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. With your crazy schedule, eat every 3 hours as best as you can, and make sure you’re eating the 1200 calories/day for low carb days and 1500 calories/day for high carb days. You’ll have to be a bit creative, but it can be done. Happy carb cycling!
inkbow Chris says don’t count carbs, but for someone like me, who does better with numbers, it would be nice to know about how many carbs to set as an average for high and low carb days and protein too.
I wake up at 6am and leave the house at 6:30am to get to the gym for 7 when it opens, when should I be having my breakfast as Im having a protein shake for ease of time etc.
Here’s a post that will help you figure this out and give you some other great info: https://heidipowell.net/1071/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-before-exercise/.
I have been doing for 2 weeks and keep going up and down on scales. Not consistently losing. I eat eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, salad with ham for lunch, yogurt and nuts for my snacks, and a meat and veg for dinner. Staying at 1200 cal a day.. MFP logs me under 100 carbs a day. Any ideas what I might be doing wrong.
You need to make sure you’re eating 1200 calories on low carb days and 1500 calories on high carb days, and that you’re following the portion sizes as outlined in the program. There’s an awesome graphic in this post (as well as some other great info) that might help: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. And make sure you’re only weighing yourself once a week on the morning of day 6. Hope that helps!
I am looking to start the turbo cycling but what would really help is to have a book of recipes/menus that would go the program. (“Carb cycling for dummies”) kind of book. lol I’m the type that if given a proper example of what to eat for the next 4 weeks, then i could catch on better of what i need to eat and make up my own meals around it. Is there anything out there like that?
There are a lot of recipes in both books (“Choose to Lose” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life”). And there’s an awesome graphic (as well as some other great info) in this post that outlines how to put together every carb cycling meal: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/. You simply choose a protein, healthy fat, and veggie (the non-root/non-starchy type) for every low carb meal, and a protein, carb, and veggie for every high carb meal. There are lists of approved foods in both books, and you can get a free copy at http://www.chrispowell.com. Enter your email address in “Join the Transformation,” hit “Join,” and the next screen will have the link to download the list. Happy Turbo Cycling!
I’m running into the same thing. I’d like a specific meal plan the first two weeks or so before I go off and start putting together meals on my own. I bought the second book. I don’t like the format – the way the exercise is right in the middle of the chapters about food. I’m not totally clear how to fit the recipes into the meal plan.
We don’t have specific meal plans available; however, the recipes in the first book are broken down into low and high carb, and the recipes in the second book have suggestions on how to make each a low or high carb meal. You can also used the approved foods list to put together your meals. Here are some ideas for both low and high carb meals (all recipes are from Chris and Heidi’s books: “Choose to Lose” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life”): Low carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Basic Omelet with a corn tortilla to make it a wrap. Snack (3 hours later): A protein shake with a portion of a healthy fat, like peanut butter, mixed in. Lunch (3 hours later): Tomato Basil and Garlic Chicken with a portion of olive oil drizzled on top. Snack (3 hours later): Sonora Cottage Cheese with a portion of avocado. Dinner: (3 hours later): Lemon Chicken drizzled with salad dressing. High carb day: Breakfast within 30 minutes of waking): Denver Omelet with a portion of your favorite fruit or oatmeal on the side. Snack (3 hours later): Greek Yogurt Parfait with a portion of low fat granola. Lunch: (3 hours later): Caribbean Jerk Chicken with a portion of brown rice. Snack (3 hours later): Protein shake with a portion of oatmeal mixed in. Dinner (3 hours later): Apple Cider Chicken. And remember, you can have veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every single meal, and you can use any of the foods on Chris and Heidi’s approved foods list – in the proper proportions – to create meals to fit your needs and your schedule.
Hi I have been following the turbo carb program for 3 weeks now. I have been following the food program but not much for exercising. had 2 hand surgeries one currently in a cast and scheduled for foot surgery which will leave me in a foot cast for 3 months. Any suggestions what I can do to get the weight off have only lost a couple of lbs. Reading a question above I did realize that I was using the shakeology drinks for the 2 snacks each day both on LC & HC days. I will adjust accordingly to include for one meal on HC days. I am 5’1″ 166 lbs and my metabolisim is so messed up I have had little success on many programs including other carb cycling programs and back then I was exercising at least 4-6 days a week.
Hi Tracie: It would be best to discuss the exercise part of Chris and Heidi’s carb cycling program with your healthcare team so they can help you make any necessary modifications while you’re healing. And I hope you heal quickly!
Do you have sample menus? I have read the book but I am the type that needs it spelled out. As in : breakfast: 1 egg, 1 p toast. Lunch: tuna salad, carrots. Etc.
I want to try carb cycling but I find it overwhelming! 🙂
We don’t have sample menus, but here are some ideas for both a low and high carb day (all recipes are from Chris and Heidi’s books: “Choose to Lose” and “Choose More, Lose More for Life.”): Low carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Basic Omelet with a corn tortilla to make it a wrap. Snack (3 hours later): A protein shake with a portion of a healthy fat, like peanut butter, mixed in. Lunch (3 hours later): Tomato Basil and Garlic Chicken with a portion of olive oil drizzled on top. Snack (3 hours later): Sonora Cottage Cheese with a portion of avocado. Dinner: (3 hours later): Lemon Chicken drizzled with salad dressing. High carb day: Breakfast (within 30 minutes of waking): Denver Omelet with a portion of your favorite fruit or oatmeal on the side. Snack (3 hours later): Greek Yogurt Parfait with a portion of low fat granola. Lunch: (3 hours later): Caribbean Jerk Chicken with a portion of brown rice. Snack (3 hours later): Protein shake with a portion of oatmeal mixed in. Dinner (3 hours later): Apple Cider Chicken. And remember, you can have veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type) with every single meal, and you can use any of the foods on Chris and Heidi’s approved foods list – in the proper proportions – to create meals to fit your needs. And there’s a great graphic in this post (as well as some other awesome info) that outlines how to put together each meal in carb cycling: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/.
I hope this clears things up, and please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
How many carbs determine a high or low carb day?
In carb cycling, we don’t count carbs/grams of carbs, we count portion sizes. There’s an awesome graphic (as well as some other great info) in this post that shows you how to put together every carb cycling meal: https://heidipowell.net/4514/carb-confusion/.
I have a question about cheat meals. On the turbo cycle can you do your cheat meals on the 2 high carb days for lunch instead of all the meals on just that Sunday????
Great question! No, on the Turbo Cycle you have your Reward Day on Sundays.
I will be 30 in 4 short months. I have always been a “picky eater” and just learned it’s really called texture aversion. If it’s not crispy or crunchy I won’t eat it. I have a few (like 3 or 4) that I will eat that don’t crunch but the list of what I will eat is easier to write than what I won’t. I married a very fit healthy and active man. Since our wedding 2 years ago he’s continued to be healthy and my weight just keeps going up. I Want to take control of my life and my health. I want to be healthy and fit for a life time. I’d like to actually take pictures on my 30th birthday and be proud of the woman who is there. How can I do this carb cycling if most of the meals are of things I will not eat? I will not choke it down. I will give up and I don’t want to have this be another failure. Help!!! I’ve been to a few doctors and nutritionalists with no help from any of them. I really need some guidance.
That’s a tough one. A really tough one, since most protein sources are not crunchy or crispy, and you eat a protein with every carb cycle meal. You should be okay where the fats, carbs, and veggies are concerned, so if you can find some proteins you can eat, you should be good to go. Good luck! 🙂
Have you thought about adding a few protein shakes to make sure you are getting the total amount of protein in that you need per day? Do you have an issue with the texture of jerky? You could always take your protein sources and make lower sodium(or high sodium I guess) homemade jerkys.